Electroacupuncture at Baihui (DU20) acupoint upregulates mRNA expression of NeuroD molecules in the brains of newborn rats suffering in utero fetal distress

Neuro D plays a key regulatory effect on differentiation of neural stem cells into mature neurons in the brain.Thus,we assumed that electroacupuncture at Baihui（DU20） acupoint in newborn rats exposed to in utero fetal distress would influence expression of Neuro D.Electroacupuncture at Baihui was performed for 20 minutes on 3-day-old（Day 3） newborn Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to in utero fetal distress;electroacupuncture parameters consisted of sparse and dense waves at a frequency of 2–10 Hz.Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR results demonstrated that m RNA expression of Neuro D,a molecule that indicates Neuro D,increased with prolonged time in brains of newborn rats,and peaked on Day 22.The level of m RNA expression was similar between Day 16 and Day 35.These findings suggest that electro acupuncture at Baihui acupoint could effectively increase m RNA expression of molecules involved in Neuro D in the brains of newborn rats exposed to in utero fetal distress.

In utero delivery of mRNA to the heart,diaphragm and muscle with lipid nanoparticles

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have the potential to revolutionize medicine,but their low vascular permeability and rapid clearance by phagocytic cells have limited their medical impact.Nanoparticles delivered at the in utero stage can overcome these key limitations due to the high rate of angiogenesis and cell division in fetal tissue and the under-developed immune system.However,very little is known about nanoparticle drug delivery at the fetal stage of development.In this report,using Ai9 CRE reporter mice,we demonstrate that lipid nanoparticle(LNP)mRNA complexes can deliver mRNA in utero,and can access and transfect major organs,such as the heart,the liver,kidneys,lungs and the gastrointestinal tract with remarkable efficiency and low toxicity.In addition,at 4 weeks after birth,we demonstrate that 50.99±5.05%,36.62±3.42%and 23.7±3.21%of myofiber in the diaphragm,heart and skeletal muscle,respectively,were transfected.Finally,we show here that Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA complexed to LNPs were able to edit the fetal organs in utero.These experiments demonstrate the possibility of non-viral delivery of mRNA to organs outside of the liver in utero,which provides a promising strategy for treating a wide variety of devastating diseases before birth.

Vaginal Cesarean Section, an Alternative to High-Risk Trigger on Scarred Uterus

The objective is to report a clinical case of vaginal cesarean section performed to expel a dead fetus in scarred uterus. For this indication, vaginal hysterectomy constitutes an alternative to vaginal expulsion with a high risk of uterine rupture and to classic abdominal cesarean section with risk of significant surgical trauma, particularly adhesions. However, this surgical technique, described since the 19th century, remains unknown to many practitioners and few publications exist on the subject throughout the world. Considered obsolete by some practitioners, it retains all its advantages in the practice of modern obstetrics. We report this case of expulsion of fetal death on a tri-scarred uterus performed by vaginal cesarean section at the Health District Reference Health Center (District Hospital) of Commune I in Bamako, Mali in a 37-year-old patient with a pregnancy of 27 weeks of amenorrhea.

Efficient genetic manipulation in the developing brain of tree shrew using in utero electroporation and virus infection

Tree shrews（also named banxrings）,the small mammals native to Southeast Asia,are featured by moderate size,easy breeding,high reproductivity and close genetic background to primates（Xu et al.,2012;Xiao et al.,2017）.Tiee shrews possess both conserved and unique features compared to primates,and thus will become a suitable animal model with modest cost-effciency（Yao,2017）.

Maternal and Fetal Exposure to Four Carcinogenic Environmental Metals

Objective To examine maternal and fetal exposure levels to four carcinogenic metals, arsenic （As）, cadmium （Cd）, nickel （Ni）, and beryllium （Be）, and to investigate their environmental influences. Methods Metal concentrations in maternal and umbilical cord blood were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry （ICP-MS）. Environmental factors that might play a role in exposure were analyzed using Mann Whitney nonparametric U-tests and multiple linear regression. Results The concentrations of As, Cd, and Ni in umbilical cord blood （5.41, 0.87, and 139.54 gg/L） were significantly lower than those in maternal blood （6.91, 1.93, and 165.93 p.g/L）. There were significant positive correlations between the maternal and cord concentrations of each carcinogen. Our results showed that： （i） exposures to potentially harmful occupational factors during pregnancy were associated with high levels of maternal As, Cd, and Ni; （ii） living close to major transportation routes （〈500 m） or exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy increased the maternal Cd levels and （iii） living close to industrial chimneys induced high maternal Ni levels. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that these environmental factors remained significant in models of the influences of these four carcinogens. Conclusion Both mothers and fetuses had been exposed to As, Cd, Ni, and Be. The increased levels of these carcinogens in pregnant women were associated with some detrimental environmental factors, such as occupational exposure, contact with second-hand smoke and living close to major transportation routes or industrial chimneys.

Fetal programming of obesity and type 2 diabetes

The prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus has increased rapidly over the past few decades,and prevention efforts have not been successful.Fetal programming involves the earliest stage of obesity development,and provides a novel concept to complement other strategies for lifelong prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.The World Health Organization now advocates a life-course approach to prevent/control obesity,starting with pre-conceptional and antenatal maternal health.Maternal overnutrition,gestational diabetes mellitus and excessive gestational weight gain lead to fetal overgrowth,and“programs”the offspring with an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in childhood and adulthood.This review summarizes current data on fetal programming of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus including potential causative factors,mechanisms and interventions to reduce its impact.

Construction of an allogenic chimeric mouse model for the study of the behaviors of donor stem cells in vivo

It is essential to establish an animal model for the elucidation of the biological behaviors of stem cells in vivo. We constructed a chimeric animal model by in utero transplantation for investigation of stem cell transplantation.